Goldstein



Feb. 7, 1956 A. GoLDsTElN FOUNDATION GARMBNT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 6. 1953 Feb. 7, 1,956 l A. GoLDs'rz-:IN 2,733,444

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Aug. 6. 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mi QI* vri i?" I NVEN TOR.

Vo TTORNEY Feb. 7, 1956 A. GoLDsTElN FOUNDATION GARMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 6. 1953 .United States Patent() 2,733,444- EOUNDATIQNGARMENT Arthur Goldstein, New York, N. Y., assigner to Tru Balance Gorsets, Inc., NewYork, N.' Y., a corporation olNewYork4v Appncanmaagust 6, 1953 Serfaus. 372,792,h

This-invention relates, tov undergarments; more particularlyj tosvfoundationA garments andicorsets.

This` invention relatesA to improvementsl in undergarments of the .type shown in my Patent No. 2,304,812, December 15, 19,42, t

In. my patentaforesaid efforts were made byl me to prov-ide aA posture corrective device in ran undergarment generally4 referred-to asfafcorset,` or foundation garment; In; these, constructions, the objective was to providean arrangement of elastic pull of thesegments of the gar,- ment` whchwould workin' harmony with the muscles and, ligament, structure` of the` body, tendingV to correct the, posture, and e'ective duringactivity of the` wearer, andwhich comprised,` side membersj andy hip members, acting as described against a central inelastic frontrnemq ber located in relation to each other so that adesirable abdomen moulding influence. would be secured; More particularly, in my patentA aforesaid, I` have endeavored to` support-a central Vinelastiefront member in oppositely divergentl directions, by a two-way s tretchfrnaterialgspeciticallyva warp knitfabric withprmary and` secondary elasticity of; different magnitude'providing torsional advinstability,y of the fabric4 for carrying out theapplication of-A the divergentforces of the elasticl sideandhip inem.- bers; to each, other and yto the centralmember during bodily activity.

I havefound-that with lack; of-carein adjustment. of

the. garment,` the farA greater activity f toI whichl the hip members.- are. subjected than are the-side members tends tot defeat,r some`- ofthel purposes intended` by my4 prior garmentconstruction, resulting in. aninadequate abdominal attening influence. I, have alsofitound that toincrease.A the, elasticrpullA tomakeit more. rigorous in the pulling action, results in unnecessarydiscomfort, due` to the restrainingdnuence.on movement, to the. pointl that the divergent tensionalongthe natural-lines ofthe body of the sidef panels. is, renderedf intellectual; properly; to mould theabdomemandthat the benefits of myprior construction are, lost unless; there4 is` unusual carer and perfection inV locating,A and.` maintaining` the garment:` at` a critical` position. This, shortcomingV I attribute. to. the limitationfin the corsetrory foundation garment,y of my prior, construction of the pointl ofpositioning-,othe;;apex ofthe sidernembersto provide fan apprroplriateconstrainingnonnosing force-to. some relatively xed position, such asthe` hip, members and,` thus, 4the, assembly of; my', prior construction tends to, provide largelyv a. liftof the.V abdomen` rather than a conjointlift and compressive force tending toatten thesame. While,VY desirable results v are in, aAk measure, secured withfthe. foundation garment` ofmy prior constructionby the employment-rofl shoulder straps whiehformtheopposing force to the downwardly directed elastic. hip members,` in the case of usingwtwoway stretch material`,ythe principle isnot desirably applicable without an unusual amount of-` constraining actionA and' an unduly uncomlbrtable result'tothewearer:

- Thus, in accordance with` my-prionpatentaforemein toncd, the balance of. forces` alonsathe muscles 1 andk ligen ments, insofar as;L supplying a positive corrective device, may`y be attributable;-tothe-'pull of shoulder straps in oppositionto the-oppositelyt-divergentforcesof the side members and hip members acting on, thev front panel, elective` where' accurate location is'` practiced by the wearer and a carefult, in thecase-of the -corselette or partial garment, has; been4 provided.

I havevfoundl that by exercisingfa constraining inuence `ogf the,elasticmembersabove the hip bone crest andfinto the waistline to a point where I providean immobilizf ingarea ,to the-garment-withreference to whichthe kdownwardhip members may act, thefusual benefits of my inventionare extended to, providea highly desirable flat-v tening influenceA onthe, abdomen, a facile and* accmate location` tov secure the, desiredperforr.nilllte, the ability to usel more. pliantelastic fabric in the garment panels, especially, of` the hipmembers, and the use, withv greater latitude of choice, of either one-way or two-way stretch elastic fabric members for the hip or side members.

Thus l4 have found, and it isain-object` of my inventiontotprnvide, an undergarment in the nature of a foundation garment. or corset, employing` elasticvside members,` each having; upwardlyy divergent primary elastic pull, and. hipl members, each having downwardly divergent primary, elastic pull, in relation to an inelastic front member,V where, the contiguous seam between the side nirensber-S.andhip,membersV follows the .groin lines of the wearer-to apoint, above-the crest of thehip members andtransyersely. for aditance exerting a transverse pull on. the` inelastic rnerlbcrv above thewaistline, the contiguous edges of the side membersrand hip members providingfan, immobilizing'` engaging or anchoring set'of pointsor area,.with relationto which the. inelasticfront member istaut'ened by the. elastic, upwardly directed side members; 21,1.1C1...byI thefopposed vdownwardly divergent elastichinmeinbers.

Thus, in accordance with my, invention, it is an object thereof; toprovide an arrangement of the side panel membersl and` hip members torsecure an extended an chorage, area. adjacentA the relatively` immovable apex of; the QsnnQmnatum or crests, of thehipbones and extendinginto; thefwaistline, whereby to secure ease and accuracy.` o,f location of the garment embody-ing the oppositely divergentelastic side, and` hip panels, making possible a distribution of, thefelstic forces, permitting less; constraining inuence` by the. active hipmembers andmore intense, elasticA forcel transversely on the front member, covering-al greater4 portion of the yieldable portions of, the.V bodyv'tosecure greater abdomen flattening effects,. and perrriittingv Vthe use of both one-wayy stretch and two-wayditerential stretch materials.

' To attainstheseobjectsfand, such further objectsas may; appear hereimior, be hereinafter pointed' out,A I makegreference, to the accompanyingdrawings.forming a parthereolf, in which.

Figure 1L is a..- three quarter, front. perspective view illus-r Vtrating a garment in vaccordance with myk invention with a portion broken away to show an under layer;

' Eigu'relisasectionon line 2 2 of4 Figure 1;`

Eigurelf, is athree quarter rear perspectiveyiew thereof;,

Figure 4 is a plan Viewy showing a developed relationship;v ofthe various sections entering intor the production ofthe. garments illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; l Y FiguresY 5, 6 and 7 are, respectively, front, side and rear views of aioundation garment inaccordance withanf other embodiment of myf invention. I now make reference tothe drawings, particularly Figuresl to 4, whereinthe` garment. therein.. illustrated is in` tlief'ormcfa corset iii-that' thereistno4 attached brassiercl.- TheJ garment G- isprovided withak front member 3 of inelastic material, the lower edge 11 of which extends its angular side 12 at an obtuse angle upwardly to the corners 13. The width of the member 10 to either side of the middle along the longitudinal line is suicient to cover the umbilical region or the visceral cavity or abdomen, preferably extending no wider than the groin adjacent the crest of the pubis and extending vertically upward to the top edge 14 of a size to where the lower ribs would be encountered.

The front member 10 outlines a generally hour-glass configuration or superimposed inverted frusto-triangular members, with the common smaller base defining the points 15, 15 arranged to coincide with the medial portion of the waistline or the break portion of the abdomen in the sitting position.

To a portion of the front member comprising the edges 12, 12 and the segments 16, 16 there are afxed the hip sections 17, 17. The contiguous medial edges of the hip sections 17, 17 are aixed to each other by the medial seam 18 to provide a frontal apron portion below the edges 11 and 12, terminating into the lower edge 18a, along which the usual fastening garters are applied all around the garment.

The hip sections above the side edges 16 are arcuately outlined at their edges 19, 19 to extend inwardly from just above the position of the crests of the ilium X-X and the apices X-X of the'ossa innominata or hip bones. The corners 20, 20 terminate adjacent the medial side edges 21, 21. The sections 17, 17 and 18 are preferably cut from warp knit elastic fabric in accordance with my patent aforesaid, to have a two-way stretch elasticity, with primary elastic warp threads providing the primary elasticity in a direction diverging downwardly from the medial seam line 18, and more particularly with the primary elastic threads arranged at an angle A of from 10 to 30, preferably 15.

In the drawing extending from the indicator 22 is a group of arrows, diagrammatically illustrating the components of forces of elasticity, with the longest component of this group representing the directionV of the elastic warp thread where this i-s employed, as more specifically indicated in my prior patent aforementioned.

To each side of the front member 10, outlined by the sections V23, 23, there are attached the side members 24, 24, with their lower sides contiguous to the groin-contoured diagonal edge 19, previouslydescribed, and having their side terminal edges 25, 25 co-terminous with the edge 21. The upper edges 26, 26 extend from the Waistline corners 15, 15 rearwardly and upwardly to provide an extended portion over the waistline.

The indicator group of arrows 27 is intended to show diagrammatically the components of elasticity, with the primary elastic warp thread diverging in a direction upwardly from the center line extended 'from the seam 18 at an angle of from 15 to 45, preferably 30. The variation is occasioned by variations in dimensions and proportions of different sizes `and shapes of individuals. Above the edges 26 l provide waistline sections 28, 28

' each having an edge thereof contiguous with an edge 26 and .each attached to the side portions 29, 29v of the front member.V The upper terminal edges 30, 30 are co-terminous with the edge 14. The side edges 31, 31 are co-terminous with the edges 21, 25 previously described. The indicator group of arrows 32, 32 diagrammatically show the componentof elasticity and the largest componentis directed in substantial parallelism with the line indicating the waistline from the corners 15, 15. v

To each side of the edges 21, 25 and 31 outlining a vertical side seam, there are attached the edge side panels 33, 33. The edge side panels 33, 33 are made of single way stretch elastic webbing, with the stretch arranged in the direction of the arrows 34, 34, providing no elasticity or stretch in the horizontal direction.

To each side of the edgeside panels 33, 33, there are attached the vertically disposed rear side panels 35, 3 5, yextending from the line along the bottom of the apron to a point co-terminous with the edges 14.

The rear side panels 35, 35 are composed of elastic warp fabric with the primary elasticity shown by the indicator group of arrows 36, 37 varying adjacent the upper edge 14 in a position parallel to the waistline. The indicator group of arrows 37 diagrammatically illustrates the primary elasticity adjacent the lower edge 18a to be downwardly divergent substantially in parallelism with the primary elastic component of the hip members 17.

Between the rear side panels 35, 35 there is positioned the rear panel 38, which has its upper edge 39 adjacent the waistline outlined by the corners 15, 15, previously described. The rear panel 38 is preferably a one-way stretch having its elasticity vertically extended as shown by the arrow 4t).

Above the upper edge 39 and between the panels 35, 35, there is axed a rear waistband panel 41 of two-way stretch material, preferably warp knit elastic fabric of the character employed in the hip panels 17, 17 with the primary elasticity as shown by the indicator 42 extended in a line parallel to the edge 39 and to the waistline.

The assembly as described, in addition to including the features of my patent, as described, has the upper side members not only upwardly divergent with regard to the front panel member to exert its attening inuence on the front member but extends rearwardly over the yielding portions of the waist just above and about the crests of the hip bones or the apexof each of the os innominatum and includes a waistband elastic pull in parallelism to the waistline to provide anchorage for the sidev members in opposition to the downwardly divergent pull of the hip members 17 17 The angular direction of the edges 19, 19 therefore positions the terminal portion of the side members in close relation to the side seam 21 to a point just above the apices of the hip bones at the portions X-X, but so closely contoured to the same thereby resisting the stress of the downwardly divergent elastic pull of the hip members by the formation of an enveloping hip bone pocket forming an anchorage area. The extension of the side members 24,'24 rearwardly along the waistline and above the seam augments the anchorage tendency along the waistline above Vthe apices of the hipbones facilitating the location of the garment as it is drawn by the wearer over the thighs and onto the hips. Further anchorage against the pulling force'of the limbs and body in articulation is provided by the side waistline sections 28, 28, held in waistline anchoring position by the rear waistband panel and rear side panels 35, 35. -By reasons of the anchorage which is assured adjacent the waistline, the hip members 17, 17 may be made of less intensely elastic fabric, minimizing the constraining inuence without loss of moulding qualities.

The combined upwardly divergent pull of the side members 24, 24 and the waistline sections and waistband sections exerts a flattening influence on the front panel 10, requiring no shoulder straps to tauten the front panel in the vertical as well as in the horizontal direction. The firm anchorage afforded by the upwardly divergent, rearwardly elastic side members 24, 24 permits of the intensifcation of the upwardly divergent elastic pull of these side panel members and for this purpose l may provide a set of subsidiary side members in the under-lay 43, indicated in Figure 2 and shown by the fragmentation of the layer 24 in Figure 1. The under-lay subsidiary side members 43-43 are preferably one-way stretch elastic fabric in which the elastic is stretchable along the lines shown by the arrow 44, so that the elastic threads thereof are in parallelism with the elastic threads indicated by the indicator 27 and running at the same angle to the medial line 18 as the primary elastic of the side members 24.

The under-lay 43 or subsidiary side members of undirectional reinforcing elasticity augments the side tauten ing inuence on the front panel member, to Hatten the 4 avec s4.. :we if one hundred higher.

to augment.the,4 upwardly divergent forces of theA side Y members andthedownwardly. divergent pnlliof 1 tbe-front hinniernbers.. is sccuredby. the arrangement'. of. thepanel members; 35. andlif, it beingA understood,y however. that. while the alestretcltpanel as aidsinmeintainins thepropcrpositionof the'garment. Vduring mobility, where accentuatedliatteningqf thebuttocl's isdesired, the panel 381 may heeofindisten 'bl'erfabricsas inrny Prior Patent I. may, further. aid.. the proper. Positioning of the garment with .respect to4 the.. waistline, ,at which point `the corners. 1.5.1.5.. areeintendedtobe positioned. by the inclusion ofstaysrandfor. this...nnrp,ose, stays. 45, 45, may be includedrnnning frontthe. upper edge.. 1.4 to aroint co-terminous with the waistline defined by the, corners 15, 15. Likewise, I may include..Stayv retaining pockets 4646n eac h,of theedge-,side ,panels to keep the gannent from rollingand to. assure. an extended anchorage area being. formed bytheterminals'ZS, 2512il the side members 24, 24..

It `will likewise be understood that one of, the` edge side panels 33 may be formed with a separable closure 47, and forl this purposea-,rowz of separable. fastener elements and actuator may be employed.

While I haver-shown andfdescribedfa corset, it will bennderstood. that.- ray` intention. may. be extended.. `to an-,al.l.in..one. typcofgarrnen on corselette... For. this purpose Isrefer.tQ.Fiau.r..es..5.,.t ande?,y wherein theearment C.' isf. illustratedran.. in..w..ich partsrcorrespondinsto. parts in the previous embodiment have been given a number Here the front panel 110 is formed with hip members 117 and with side members 124, all joined to each other as in the first embodiment. The waistline sections 128, 128, at their upper edges, are joined `to the breast cups of the brassiere B, which may be further supported by the shoulder straps 48, 48, running rearwardly to the side edge panels 135, 135 and the rear waistband panel 141. Below the rear waistline panel 141, there is provided the rear panel 138. It is to be observed that in all other respects than the extension to permit the attachment of shoulder straps and brassiere, that the parts 128, 135, 138 and 141, correspond substantially in function and arrangement of the elastic to the waistline section 28, edge side panels 35, rear panel 38, and waistline panel 41. The eidcacy of the anchorage of the allinone garment to which Figures 5, 6 and 7 refer, is demonstrable by the fact that the foundation garment below the breast cups does not move out of proper position when the shoulder straps 48 are released, and except for the support afforded to the breast cups, the shoulder straps do not offer any material aid in the desirable principles described'in connection with the first embodiment.

I have shown and described the front hip members, the side members and the waistline sections in the garments in accordance with the embodiments illustrated which for convenience may be stated to be a multi-stretch fabric, and preferably warp knit elastic fabric of about twenty elastic warp threads to the inch and about sixteen cross ties to the inch, as described in my prior patent, so that the relationship of the elastic fabric to inelastic fabric is to allow for approximately to 30% elongation at the waistline and accordingly l may include the same relationship of elastic to inelastic fabric as described in my patent. lt is further to be understood, that while in my prior patent I find it preferable to make use of the said 6 warp knit elastic fabric. toA secure artorsionalelastiity in the plane paralleltojthe surface ofthe fabric andA I may therefore, secure to a similar extenttlie` benefits` thereof inthe assembly as, describedA herein, However inview offthe features in myI improvement herein I may use,A in the. aforefmentioned'side members, hip membersandthe subsidiaryyunder-Iay side members, one-way stretch'elastic fabricwith,th e elastic threads arrangedl inthe. relative divergent relationship vas describedfor the primary elastic warp threads.

Likewise, it willjbev understood that while I` have shown a garment inwhich the/hip meinbershave the. primary elasticity iux a,downwardl y divergent direction 4and the side members with theelasticity in. an. upwardly divergent direction with regard to the, indistensible front. panel member. the construction may, bemodiiiedto. secure the anchorage benelits of the more intense, elasticity* ofthe side members andthe sulztsidiary` sidemembers underglay byarrangngthe front hip..mernbjerste.l extend to. thewaist: line asan integral'piece, larranging the patterr1. toc.ut the same so that the primaryrportion,coveringthe crestsof the ilium yandgtlre-apicesof the. .ossa .innominata is .in a downf wardly` divergent. relationship.. to the.. edges, of. the front Panel.'J with4 a. relatively, horizontal arrangement.. of the elastic threadsabo've. the. line corresponding to the edge 19 up. to. thewaistline,` andthen applying` an. nndenley side member corresponding to the. under-lay 43 by arranging the primaryelastic. to provideeach ofthe side member. under-lays with. annpwardly. divergent elastic pull. The` under-lays inthiomarticular embodiment are of koneeway stretchrnaterial, as. described. in. the. arrangement in connection; witlithe. embodiment illustrated in Figurel for. the. par.t43,. v

In the ,primary construction .employed byme, the hip members and.. thesde; membersarc connected. to each other by4 readily. shiftableseams,such, as faggoted stitch.-` ine, so. that...e`achof thesepanels. may exercise its indie..- pendentfunctionwithout restraint-4 While I have shown and described in Figures 5, 6 and 7 an all-in-one type garment without any edge side panels, specifically shown in the rst embodiment, it will be understood that such elements, corresponding to the elements 33, may be embodied in the all-in-one construction to provide an insert between the side panels 117, 124, 128 as a front component, and the panel as a rear component, without departing from the essential elements of novelty outlined hereinabove and included within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: r

1. A foundation garment comprising an inelastic front member adapted to cover substantially the front central portion of the body of a wearer from the waistline and confined at its sides and its lower edge portions `to closely adjacent' the crests of the pubis and upwardly between the crests of the ilium, thereby substantially to limit the covering of the front member to the groin area, two elastic-fabric side members and two elastic-fabric hip members, each set of said members being fabricated from mixed elastic and inelastic threads, said hip members each. being attached to the bottom edge of a side member and with the inner edge thereof to each side of the front member at the lower side and bottom edges thereof and having.

elastic threads providing the primary elasticity arranged in a direction diverging downward from the sides, the inner edges of each of said side members being attached at one edge thereof to each side of the front member adjacent the upper side portion of said front member, and an another lower edge to a hip member, and the outer edge of each of said side members having its upper terminal edge adapted to extend at the upper end from a line above and conforming substantially along the crest line of the hip bone line of the wearer upwardly and to extend rearwardly to the waistline of the wearer cooperating with the uppermost corner of the hip member to form a hip bone crest yieldable pocket to constrain the garment substantially immovable downwardly immediately above the hip bone line, and having elastic threads providing elasticity to the front member anchored above the hipv bone line and extending from the front member upwardly and rearwardly to the waistline in opposition to the downward pull of the hip members and transversely across the abdomen line of the wearer, the contiguous edge portions of the hip member andv side member providing an anchorage area for the downward pull of the hip members, locating the upward pull and transverse elasticity above the line of the apex of the hip bone line.

2. A foundation garment comprising an inelastic front member'adapted to cover substantially the front central portion of the body of a wearer from the waistline and confined at its sides to closely adjacent the crests of the pubis and upwardly between the portions covering the crests of the ilium, thereby substantially to limit the covering of the front member to the groin area, two elastic-fabric side members and two elastic-fabric hip members located one below the other, each set of said members being fabricated from mixed elastic and inelastic threads, said hip members each being attached to a lower side and bottom edge portion of each side of the front member at the inner side edges of`said hip members and having elastic threads providing the primary elasticity arranged in a direction divergingy downwardly from the sides and bottom edge of the front member, and each hip member having an upper, diagonal edge attached to the side member and adapted to follow the groin line of the wearer and transversely rearwardly over the crest of the hip bone line of the wearer, the inner edges of each of said side members each being attached to the upper side portion of the front member and to the upper diagonal edge of the hip member at its lower edge portion and having its upper terminal edge adapted to extend at the opposite end from a line above and conforming substantially along the crest line of the hip bone line upwardly and to extend rearwardly to the waistline to constrain the garment substantially immovable downwardly immediately above the hip line elastic stress and having elastic threads providing elasticity to Ythe front member anchored above the hip bone line and extending from the front member upwardly and rearwardlysto the waistline in opposition to the downward pull of the hip members and transversely across the abdomen line of the wearer, the contiguous edge portions of the apex of the hip member and side member terminating at and being attached by a common seam to an edge side panel providing an anchorage area for the downward pull of the hip members, locating the upward pull and transverse elasticity above the line of the apex of the hip bone line.

3.` A foundation garment in accordance withrclaim 1 wherein each of said side members includes subsidiary members providing an under-lay augmenting the, side tautening iniiuence on'the front panel members. Y,

4. A foundation garment in accordance withclaim 1 wherein each'of said side members includes subsidiary members providing an under-lay augmenting the side tautening inuence on the front panel members comprising one-way stretch elastic fabric, with the elastic threads substantially in parallelism with the elastic threads of the side members.

5. `A foundation garment in accordance with claim 1 wherein the side members each have an under-lay augmenting the side tautening inuence on the front panel member and comprising elastic fabric 'in a bias position with relation to the verticalrseams joining the panels to each other.

References Cited in the 4tile of thisipatent UNITED STATES .PATENTS 2,304,812 Goldstein Dec. 15, 1942v 2,338,193 McMichael Jan. 4, 1944 2,608,688 Leonard Sept. 2, 1952 2,675,548 

